Euphorbia plant named ‘Bonpri 9172’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Euphorbia  plant named ‘Bonpri 9172’, characterized by its upright and mounded plant habit; moderately vigorous growth habit; freely branching habit; dark green-colored leaves; inflorescences with red-colored flower bracts; and good post-production longevity.

Botanical designation: Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. ex Klotzsch×Euphorbia cornastra.

Cultivar denomination: ‘BONPRI 9172’.

CROSS-REFERENCED TO CLOSELY-RELATED APPLICATIONS

Title: Euphorbia Plant Named ‘Bonpri 9276’

Applicant: Andrew Bernuetz

Filed: Concurrently with this application

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Euphorbia plant, an interspecific hybrid botanically known as Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. ex Klotzsch ×Euphorbia cornastra, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name ‘Bonpri 9172’.

The new Euphorbia plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Yellow Rock, New South Wales, Australia. The objective of the program is to create and develop new interspecific Euphorbia plants with compact, upright and mounded plant habit and attractive flower bracts.

The new Euphorbia plant is a naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of a proprietary selection of Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. ex Klotzsch ×Euphorbia cornastra identified as code number 574, not patented. The new Euphorbia plant was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant from within a population of plants of the proprietary selection in a controlled greenhouse environment in Yellow Rock, New South Wales, Australia in May, 2011.

Asexual reproduction of the new Euphorbia plant by terminal vegetative cuttings in a controlled greenhouse environment in Yellow Rock, New South Wales, Australia since June, 2011 has shown that the unique features of this new Euphorbia plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Euphorbia have not been observed under all possible combinations of environmental conditions and cultural practices. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environmental conditions such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Bonpri 9172’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Bonpri 9172’ as a new and distinct Euphorbia plant:

-   -   1. Upright and mounded plant habit.     -   2. Moderately vigorous growth habit.     -   3. Freely branching habit.     -   4. Dark green-colored leaves.     -   5. Inflorescences with red-colored flower bracts.     -   6. Good post-production longevity.

In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Yellow Rock, New South Wales, Australia, plants of the new Euphorbia differ primarily from plants of the parent selection in flower bract color as plants of the parent selection have hot pink-colored flower bracts.

Plants of the new Euphorbia can be compared to plants of Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. ex Klotzsch ×Euphorbia cornastra ‘Bonpri 9276’, disclosed in U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 14/545,690. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Yellow Rock, New South Wales, Australia, plants of the new Euphorbia differ primarily from plants of ‘Bonpri 9276’ in flower bract color as plants of ‘Bonpri 9276’ have dark pink-colored flower bracts.

Plants of the new Euphorbia can also be compared to plants of Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. ex Klotzsch ×Euphorbia cornastra ‘Bonpridepcom’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 21,324. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Yellow Rock, New South Wales, Australia, plants of the new Euphorbia differed primarily from plants of ‘Bonpridepcom’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Euphorbia had longer and thicker lateral         branches than plants of ‘Bonpridepcom’.     -   2. Plants of the new Euphorbia had smaller leaves than plants of         ‘Bonpridepcom’.     -   3. Plants of the new Euphorbia had more inflorescences than         plants of ‘Bonpridepcom’.     -   4. Plants of the new Euphorbia had larger inflorescences than         plants of ‘Bonpridepcom’.     -   5. Plants of the new Euphorbia and ‘Bonpridepcom’ differ in         flower bract color as plants of ‘Bonpridepcom’ have dark red         purple-colored flower bracts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new Euphorbia plant showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Euphorbia plant.

The photograph at the top of the sheet comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Bonpri 9172’ grown in a container.

The photograph at the bottom of the sheet is a close-up view of a typical inflorescence of ‘Bonpri 9172’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

Plants used in the aforementioned photographs and herewith described in detail were grown during the autumn and winter in 12-cm containers in an outdoor nursery in Higashiomi, Shiga, Japan and under cultural practices typical of commercial Euphorbia production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures averaged 23° C. and night temperatures averaged 13° C. Plants were four months old when the photographs and the description were taken. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, Fourth Edition, 2007, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. ex Klotzsch     ×Euphorbia cornastra ‘Bonpri 9172’. -   Parentage: Naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of a proprietary     selection of Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. ex Klotzsch×Euphorbia     cornastra identified as code number 574, not patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—Terminal vegetative cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots, summer.—About ten days at 18° C. to             25° C.         -   Time to initiate roots, winter.—About twelve days at 16° C.             to 20° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, summer.—About three             weeks at 18° C. to 25° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, winter.—About four             weeks at 16° C. to 20° C.         -   Root description.—Fibrous.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching; medium density. -   Plant description:     -   -   Plant habit and form.—Upright and mounded plant habit;             inverted triangle; inflorescences positioned above the             foliar plane; moderately vigorous growth habit.         -   Plant height.—About 22.5 cm.         -   Plant diameter or spread.—About 32 cm.         -   Lateral branch description.—Branching habit: Freely             branching habit, about six lateral branches develop per             plant. Length: About 15.5 cm. Diameter: About 3.3 mm.             Internode length: About 1.6 cm. Aspect: Mostly upright to             outwardly spreading. Strength: Strong. Texture: Sparsely             pubescent. Color: Close to 137D.         -   Leaf description.—Arrangement: Alternate, simple. Length:             About 5.8 cm. Width: About 3.8 cm. Shape: Ovate. Apex:             Acute. Base: Rounded. Margin: Entire; slightly undulate.             Venation pattern: Pinnate, reticulate. Texture, upper and             lower surfaces: Sparsely pubescent. Color: Developing             leaves, upper surface: Darker than N137A. Developing leaves,             lower surface: Close to 137C. Fully developed leaves, upper             surface: Close to N137A; venation, close to 144C. Fully             developed leaves, lower surface: Close to 138B; venation,             close to 144D. Petioles: Length: About 1.6 cm. Diameter:             About 1.7 mm. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Pubescent.             Color, upper and lower surfaces: Close to 144A; towards the             base, slightly tinged with close to 59B. -   Inflorescence description:     -   -   Inflorescence type and habit.—Inflorescences are compound             corymbs of cyathia with numerous flower bracts subtending             the cyathia; inflorescences positioned above the foliar             plane.         -   Quantity of inflorescences.—About eight inflorescences             develop per plant.         -   Inflorescence diameter.—About 30 cm.         -   Inflorescence height.—About 1.6 cm.         -   Fragrance.—None detected.         -   Natural flowering season.—Plants typically flower during the             autumn and winter in Japan; inflorescence initiation and             development can also be induced under artificial long             nyctoperiod and short photoperiod conditions; early             flowering habit, plants flower about seven weeks under             natural season conditions in Japan.         -   Post-production longevity.—Good post-production longevity;             plants of the new Euphorbia maintain good substance and             bract color for about six weeks.         -   Flower bracts.—Quantity per inflorescence: About 26. Length,             largest bracts: About 6.8 cm. Width, largest bracts: About             3.9 cm. Shape: Elliptic. Apex: Acute. Base: Rounded. Margin:             Entire. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous.             Aspect: Mostly horizontal. Venation pattern: Pinnate,             reticulate. Color: Transitional bracts, upper surface: Close             to 144A, N137A and 63A. Transitional bracts, lower surface:             Close to 137C. Developing bracts, upper surface: Darker than             N57A. Developing bracts, lower surface: Close to N57C. Fully             expanded bracts, upper surface: Close to 45A; venation,             close to 176B. Fully expanded bracts, lower surface: Close             to 65A; towards the margins, close to 65D; venation, close             to 144B. Flower bract petioles: Length: About 9.3 mm.             Diameter: About 1.2 mm. Texture, upper and lower surfaces:             Smooth, glabrous. Color, upper surface: Close to 144A tinged             with close to N57B. Color, lower surface: Close to 144A.         -   Cyathia.—Quantity per corymb: About 13. Diameter of cyathia             cluster: About 2.6 cm. Height, individual cyathium: About             7.2 mm. Diameter, individual cyathium: About 5.8 mm. Shape,             individual cyathium: Globose; sessile. Color: Close to 144B.             Nectaries: Quantity per cyathium: One. Size: About 1.7 mm by             3.2 mm. Color: Close to 150C.         -   Peduncles.—Length: About 2.3 mm. Diameter: About 1.9 mm.             Strength: Strong. Aspect: Mostly upright to outward.             Texture: Smooth, glabrous. Color: Close to 144B.         -   Reproductive organs.—Stamens: Quantity per cyathium:             Numerous. Anther shape: Lanceolate or globose. Anther             length: About 0.3 mm to 0.7 mm. Anther color: Close to N57B.             Amount of pollen: None observed. Pistils: Plants of the new             Euphorbia have not been observed to develop pistils. Seeds             and fruits: Seed and fruit production has not been observed             on plants of the new Euphorbia. -   Disease & pest resistance: Plants of the new Euphorbia have not been     shown to be resistant to pathogens and pests common to Euphorbia     plants. -   Temperature tolerance: Plants of the new Euphorbia have been     observed to tolerate temperatures ranging from about 8° C. to about     40° C. 

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct Euphorbia plant named ‘Bonpri 9172’ as illustrated and described. 